Left Together (33 page)

“Damn
it, Meg. I have shit handled,” I say.

“I’m
just as worried about her as you are and so are my parents. They want to know
if there’s anything they can do to help. Now let go of the sex goddess, get off
of your tight ass, and go call him so the man can sleep tonight. He doesn’t
take my word on shit like this. He needs to hear it from you.”

“You’re
a fucking pain in my ass, you know that?” I bitch, grudgingly standing up.

“Yup,”
she says as if I made her day.

I lean
over to run my thumb along Kacie’s cheek and kiss her. Relief floods me when
she kisses me back. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“Not
without you,” she promises.

“Yo,
Luke! Keep an eye on my girl for me, will ya?” I get the reaction from Kacie I thought
I would. She smiles, but I know damn well I’m still going to hear about it.

It
didn’t take long to set my uncle at ease about the situation. Once he hears
everyone knows what is going on and how Joe has stepped up security, he feels
much better. He wants me to have someone take Ashley all the way home after her
shift tonight and to call him if the ex shows up. If he does, he wants the
police involved immediately.

Just
as I’m assuring him for the tenth time how I have this under control, Kacie
walks into the office. She strolls toward me, comes around the desk, and twists
the chair so I’m facing her. It takes a lot of effort to force my lungs to
inflate. Her expression gives nothing away. She could be seconds from murdering
me and I wouldn’t see it coming. Placing a knee on either side of my legs, she
climbs onto my lap. Instinctively, I wrap a protective arm around the back of
her so she doesn’t fall, but she’s not going anywhere.

“Uh,
Uncle Tim? I have to run. Something just fell into my lap that I need to take
care of.” 

I
ignore the sound of his snickering. “Tell Kacie I said hello,” he says, then
hangs up.

Kacie
takes the phone out of my hand and twists around to carefully place it back on
the cradle. She leans into me, making the chair tilt back in response. “How
much trouble am I in?” I get out, breathlessly.

“More
trouble than you’ve ever been in before,” she says right before pressing her
lips to mine. I have a feeling that it’ll totally be worth it.

Kacie

Five
weeks post-accident, I am finally feeling well enough that I actually want to
go out with my friends. The accident took more out of me, both mentally and
physically, than I was willing to admit, but everything is getting much better.
Emotionally, it feels like I am on a high. Before, there had never been a time
in my life that I would have been able to admit to being completely happy.
Sure, I still miss Gram and the void in my heart from the moment she left this
world will always be there. The only differences are that I’m surrounded by the
best friends and family a girl could ask for, and the people responsible for
bringing me down are gone. I’m well on my way to being fully healed. My arm has
come a long way and my ribs don’t even hurt anymore. I know I’ll be one hundred
percent in no time.

Jade comes
over to get ready just as my mom calls to give me the good news that she’s
getting married. Needless to say, I’m so excited for her and for the
relationship we now have that Jade and I start celebrating before our toenails are
painted. By the time Jake and Kyle come over to pick us up, we have almost
exceeded our alcohol limit for the evening. Kyle wonders if maybe we should
skip going to Skyline, but our friends are meeting us there and I’m really
looking forward to getting out of the house. Jake just sighs and escorts us to
his Camaro. He doesn’t even bother trying to change my mind.

The
night almost goes to shit as soon as we walk into the club. At the door, Joe tells
us Ashley’s having trouble with her son’s father and everybody’s on high alert.
We’re all worried. I hope nothing happens. She’s such a sweet girl and doesn’t
deserve any shit from some guy who couldn’t even take care of his own kid. However,
it
does
make me happy to know she and Mike are starting something. They
are so cute together.

On the
ride over, I had sobered up some but wasted no time fixing that problem. Since
I’m starting my new job soon, my friends feel the need to congratulate me by
buying round after round of shots. I keep telling them they’re going to make me
miss my first official day of work if I continue drinking. Eventually, they
stop.

Seeing
Luke is definitely unexpected. I had no idea he was going to be in town. Noah
and Addie knew, but I guess Luke thought it would be fun to surprise me. He has
a way of popping up, though. I see the candy bar and hear his voice at the same
time. I can’t contain my laughter. He’s such an ass!

Speaking
of asses, Evan is not nearly as entertained at him being here as I am. In his
defense, I don’t introduce the two of them as quickly as I should have. Between
the alcohol and the shock of seeing Luke, I’m not thinking clearly. However,
none of that gives Evan the right to be a dick toward someone he doesn’t know.
If I acted that way every damn time some random girl walked up to him, we’d
barely have time to talk about anything else. When he asks about the milkshake,
I almost lose my shit. At that point, he’s acting like a possessive stalker and
I don’t want Luke to think of him that way. Because of the state of mind I was
in when I visited South Carolina, he’s probably already wondering why I’m back
together with Evan. Danny’s comic relief is a welcome diversion, but I’m more
grateful for Meg coming over and telling Evan her dad wants to talk to him. She
has impeccable timing.

After
Evan leaves the table to call his uncle, Meg props herself on his stool. She’s
in the middle of talking to me about how her new heels are killing her feet
when she suddenly goes silent. Meg doesn’t ever shut up, so I’m concerned
before I realized what caught her eye.

“Who
the hell are you?” she asks, gazing over my shoulder. I don’t have to turn to
know who she’s talking to. One of the girls across the table says something
about seeing him first, but Meg either doesn’t hear or ignores the comment.

“I’m
Luke. Who the hell are you?” he answers with the same cocky expression as the
day he made fun of me for eating the candy bar.

“Meg,”
she says, as if he should have known. “Why don’t I know you?” I almost answer
for him, but figure I should keep my mouth closed.

“You
know everyone who comes in this place?”

“Mostly.
If there’s someone I don’t know but want to, I make it a point to find out who
they are.”

“
Do
you want to get to know me?”

I need
to get out from in between them almost as much as I need to have a little chat
with my jealous boyfriend. Sliding off the stool, I ask Meg if she can hang out
with Luke until I get back. She waves me off with a “Yeah, whatever”, stealing
my seat quicker than I can vacate it. Somehow, I know Luke’s going to do just
fine adjusting to life in Tampa.

When I
let myself in the office, Evan is still on the phone with his uncle. Closing
and locking the door behind me, I take my time walking over to the desk. That’s
partly because I don’t want my drunken ass to trip on the carpet, but also because
I want him to be nervous. He has to know his behavior in front of Luke isn’t
acceptable. The closer I get to him, the more focusing on proving my point becomes
difficult. The buzzed haze I was feeling just about vanishes and is replaced by
a totally different kind of haze as I climb onto his lap. My range of motion
with my arm isn’t completely back, but it is close enough that I can make do.
My lips find their way to his and I know there’s no way I’m going to get out
what needs to be said if it doesn’t end, so I pull away.

“We
need to talk,” I say, reaching for the top button of his shirt.

“Hmm,”
he replies, his eyes locked on my mouth.

“Why do
you get so jealous?” After a few more buttons are loosened, he removes his arms
from my back and runs them up my legs. “I don’t understand.
You’re
the
one I enjoy spending my time with.
You’re
the one who makes me
deliriously happy.
You’re
the one who comes home to share my bed.
You’re
the only one I’ve ever asked to live with me. You, Evan Pierce, are the only
man I have ever loved.” I have reached the last button, so my hands slide up
the front of the black t-shirt until they are resting on either side of his
face. It’s important to me that he understands what I’m saying. “You are the
only man I will ever love. So, please, tell me. What the hell is your problem?”

Neither
of us blink as I wait for his reply. “Did you have a milkshake with him?”

I make
an attempt to keep the smile away, but it doesn’t last long. “You’re fucking
ridiculous, you know that, right?” I laugh.

“Kacie,
you better tell me what I want to hear before I fucking flip.”

I lean
into him until our chests meet and my mouth makes it to his earlobe,
whispering, “No. Again, that’s something I only do with you.”

His
voice mellows, but his eyes light up. “I’m taking you home.” He stands up, bringing
me with him.

“Why?”
I’m puzzled. Our friends are here and it’s his responsibility to make sure
Ashley gets home safe.

“If we
don’t leave, you’re going to be screaming my name all over this fucking room.”

“Why
do you think I came back here?”

He
looks at me as if I’m speaking another language. “That’s not happening,” he growls,
setting me on the desk. I don’t let him go.

“Like
hell it’s not.”

“Kacie.”
I raise my eyebrows, insisting he give me an explanation. He sighs. “Because
you wouldn’t be the first girl I’ve had in here and that’s fucked up. You
deserve better than that.”

I push
his shirt off of his shoulders. My hands follow it down his muscular arms,
making sure it falls to the floor. He doesn’t stop me, so my fingers find their
way to his belt. “I know. I also know I’ll be the
last
girl you ever
have in here or anywhere else. What you’re going to do is…” I’ve made short
work of the belt, button, and zipper, so I take care of the t-shirt, as well,
“apologize for being a jealous freak and promise you’ll never do it again.
Then, you’re going to make me forget you acted that way to begin with. My job
will be to remind you that, regardless of how many guy friends I have, no one
will ever be lucky enough to be you.”

He smirks.
“I’m sorry. It’ll never happen again.” He pushes my dress up to my waist. “Now,
when you’re having trouble walking back to your friends, just remember that you
begged for this. We both know I don’t have the willpower to deny a beautiful
girl who begs.”

My
legs wrap around him, my one hand grabbing onto his upper arm, my other hand going
into the back of his hair. “We both know I don’t beg. I demand. Two totally
different things.”

“Sweetheart,
you can demand anything you want from me for the rest of my life.”

“I
know.”

I
completely lose track of time but, eventually, we make our way back to the
table. There’s no way my face isn’t glowing with satisfaction, but I don’t give
a shit. I needed that and, apparently, so did Evan. He helps me onto the stool
he had been sitting in, as mine is still occupied, and signals to Ashley to get
us both another drink. It takes him a second to notice Meg is engrossed in
Luke. Evan looks at me and I wink at him, laughing when he shakes his head, smiles,
and mumbles something about not hating him. Since all of the chairs are taken, Evan
makes himself comfortable standing next to me.

“Feel
better?” Jade whispers from beside me.

“Most
definitely.”

As we’re
getting ready to leave for the night, Dylan comes running over to Evan to
inform him that Joe has Ashley’s ex-boyfriend, Brandon, out front. Ash sees the
two of them talking and freezes. It’s almost closing time, so the place has
pretty much emptied out. Aside from us, there are only three other tables left
in Ashley’s section, so Meg tells her she’ll finish up for her. Evan, Dylan,
Mike, and Danny escort her to the front of the building. I try to stay for
support, but Evan says he’d meet me at home and tells Jake to get us out of the
club.

Evan’s
much later getting home than usual. They ended up calling the cops and Brandon
was arrested. He was drunk and out of control. Joe attempted to get him calmed
down before Ashley made it to them, but seeing Mike defend her set him off all
over again. His problem was that Ashley moved without telling him where she was
going. How the fuck was she supposed to tell him anything when he took off,
leaving her to fend for herself and a baby? He never said where he was going,
nor did he bother checking in to see how they were doing. Perhaps it was a good
thing Evan sent me home because I wouldn’t have kept my mouth shut.

***

The
next morning, Evan and I are able to leave all of the drama behind. For the
first time since we started dating, we go away for the weekend. Three days and
two nights of just the two of us with no cell phones is what I imagine heaven
to be like. It doesn’t hurt that the place where we’re staying is right on the
Gulf of Mexico.

We
arrive well before check-in time, but that’s the way Evan planned it. We’re
escorted directly to our luxury suite, where there’s chilled champagne, a
basket of fresh fruit, and a gigantic bouquet of fresh pink daisies waiting. Other
than Gram, no one has ever given me my favorite flower. I don’t think Evan
realizes how important that is to me. The room is absolutely beautiful and I
almost feel bad that we aren’t going to be in it all that much.

The
first thing we do is change into our bathing suits and head to the beach. It has
been entirely too long since my feet have been buried in the Florida sand. Evan
laughs at how excited I am but, unless you grew up here, how can you possibly
understand? He has reserved a daybed for us to lounge in close to the water. He
shouldn’t have done that. It’s so damn comfortable, I want one for our
backyard. We stay there practically the whole day. Evan has a late lunch of
appetizers and cocktails brought out to us. As much as he planned, my favorite
part is seeing him so relaxed. We finish out the day with a late dinner in one
of the restaurants at the hotel, followed by a quick stop in the ice cream parlor
before retiring to our room.

The
next morning, Evan wakes me up early to hit the gym. I still have to take it
easy, but I’m eager to get back to a light workout. The treadmill proves to be
my greatest ally, but I refuse to get one at home because there’s nothing like
running outdoors.

The
next thing Evan has planned is jet skiing. In all the years I’ve spent on the
water, you would’ve thought jet skiing would’ve been something I’d have done
many times over. I never had the desire to, probably because it equated to
boating and getting sick. Evan has this narcissistic belief that he has cured
my seasick tendencies. Not that I’ll ever tell him, but he may have. However,
holding onto a body like his is a little more than distracting.

At my
request, we spend another fabulous day on the beach. He keeps asking why I don’t
go more often if I love it so much. My honest answer is that his busy schedule doesn’t
really allow for it and I’d much rather spend my time with him. He promises to
make more time for us to be able to do things like this, but he isn’t getting the
fact I’m happy wherever he is.